Give yourself to God without reserve; in singleness of heart, meeting everything that every day brings
forth, as something that comes from God, and is to be received and gone through by you, in such a heavenly use of occurrences. This is an attainable degree of perfection. - William Law
(Indeed it is, for this is where we live our lives, and where we meet
God.)
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1 COR 15:1-11; 118:1B-2, 16AB-17, 28
LK 7:36-50
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at
table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who
is touching him,
that she is a sinner."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"Simon, I have something to say to you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days' wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?"
Simon said in reply,
"The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven."
He said to him, "You have judged
rightly."
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great
love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."
He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
The others at table said to themselves,
"Who is this who even forgives sins?"
But he said to the woman,
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Reflection on the Scriptures |
We don’t know what sins the woman committed that prompted her to wash the feet of Jesus. We do know that Jesus compares her sins to a large debt. He notes that her “many sins” have been forgiven. But she was not forgiven because of her act of love. She experienced God’s forgiveness first and then responded with gratitude by bathing, kissing and anointed the feet of Jesus. Although her sins were “many” the Gospel passage does not emphasize them. Instead, Jesus lists her
many acts of love. . .
The sinful woman knew of her “many” sins. But she also experienced God’s forgiveness and responded by becoming a companion of Jesus. When we approach God with our sins to seek forgiveness and mercy, we may feel the anxiety of a five-year old with wet pants. But when we experience the infinite mercy of God, how do we respond? Do we
respond, out of gratitude, with acts of love?
- by John Shea, S.J.
Revelations of Divine
Love - by Julian of Norwich
Fourteenth Revelation, Chapter 52
“We have now matter of mourning: for our
sin is cause of Christ’s pains; and we have, lastingly, matter of joy: for endless love made Him to suffer”
All that shall be saved, we have in us, for the time of this life, a marvelous mingling both of weal and woe: we have in us our Lord Jesus uprisen, we have in us the
wretchedness and the mischief of Adam’s falling, dying. By Christ we are steadfastly kept, and by His grace touching us we are raised into sure trust of salvation. And by Adam’s falling we are so broken, in our feeling, in diverse manners by sins and by sundry pains, in which we are made dark, that scarcely we can take any comfort.
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